Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies®

Chapter 23. Windows Can Be Your Friend

Iam amazed at the various interesting tools and utilities included with Windows Vista. It's impressive. Yeah, I know: Lots of people like to complain about Windows Vista. But the more I use the operating system, the more I'm delighted—especially from a troubleshooting standpoint. There are so many useful things in Windows Vista, plus various ways to help you determine what's wrong with your PC, that I changed my mind and figured that Windows can be my friend! It might be yours as well (though I don't have high hopes), after you wade through the topics covered in this chapter.

O Windows, Please Do Tell

Windows can truly be informative—well, on its own terms. I find it curious that Windows, as the main piece of software in charge of your PC, can possibly not know something. After all, it's in charge! But then again, other things that purport to be in charge often don't know everything going on under their eyes. My seventh grade English teacher comes to mind. But anyway....

This section lists a host of tools and places to visit to gather information about what's going on inside your computer.

Reading problem reports and solutions

Windows keeps track of all the missteps, mishaps, and misfortunes that befall your computer. One place to locate that information is in the logs, which are covered later in this chapter. But the most specific way to find out transgressions transpired is to use the Problem Reports and Solutions window, shown in Figure 23-1 ...